UK trades · VAT registration threshold 2026
The UK VAT registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover in any rolling 12 months. For self-employed tradespeople working mostly with homeowners, crossing it can wipe 20% off every quote overnight. Use the calculator, then read what most guides miss.
Last updated . Information not advice, check with HMRC or your accountant before acting.
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Estimated annual turnover
£80,500
You're approaching the threshold.
At around £80,500 a year, you're approaching the £90,000 line. Start tracking your rolling 12-month total monthly and decide whether you'll cross or stay under. Tell us who pays you for a sharper read.
Layer 01 · The threshold
One rolling year of taxable turnover. The threshold lifted from £85,000 to £90,000 in April 2024, and that is still where it sits in 2026. Once you cross it, you have until the end of the following month to register with HMRC (see official HMRC guidance).
The bit most guides miss
If you work mostly for homeowners and your turnover sits between £85,000 and £100,000, crossing £90,000 can cost you more than it earns.
Your prices have to go up 20% to cover VAT. Homeowner customers will not absorb that, and a non-registered competitor will look 20% cheaper on every quote. Some tradespeople hold jobs back in December to stay under. The right answer depends on who pays you.
What's left in your pocket
Annual take-home from £85k to £90k turnover.
Stay at £85k
Unregistered
Below the line, no VAT, every pound is yours.
Cross to £90k
Customers absorb VAT
Best case: business customers don't blink at the 20%.
Cross to £90k
You absorb the VAT
Homeowner customers won't pay extra, so the 20% comes out of your pocket.
The third scenario is the cliff. A £5,000 jump in turnover can cost you £10,000 in pocket money if your customers won't pay 20% more. This is why some trades sit at £89k on purpose.
The question is not whether you can cross. It is whether you should.
We track your rolling 12-month turnover and warn you before the next quote tips you over the line. Pop your email in, we will let you know the moment your invite is ready.
Layer 02 · The clock
HMRC measures any consecutive 12 months, not your tax year. So a March 2026 invoice still counts against your January 2027 calculation. Most people get this wrong, they think the clock resets in April.
There is also a forward-looking rule: if a single job will take you over the threshold in the next 30 days on its own, you have to register before you do the work. That mostly bites kitchen and bathroom fitters quoting a £25,000 job when they are already at £70,000.
Layer 03 · What counts
The £5,000 bathroom is £5,000 of turnover, not £2,000 of labour. If you bill materials through your invoice, every penny counts.
This is why bathroom and kitchen fitters hit the line faster than people who only sell their labour. A labour-only spark or plumber might be a long way from £90,000. A kitchen fitter on the same effective day rate can be over it without realising, because their invoices carry the cost of every appliance and worktop.
The fix is not to hide materials. It is to know your real number and quote with VAT in mind before you hit the threshold by accident.
Layer 04 · The rates
The headline rate is 20%, but several types of work attract reduced or zero rates. If you fit heat pumps, EV chargers, or insulation, the rate you charge can be the difference between winning and losing a quote.
Standard rate
Most trade work for homeowners and businesses.
Reduced rate
Energy-saving installs: insulation, heat pumps, solar, ground-source.
Renovations
Dwellings empty for two years or more, qualifying conversions.
New-build residential
New homes from the ground up. Materials and labour both zero-rated.
Layer 05 · The CIS gotcha
The Domestic Reverse Charge changed construction VAT in March 2021. If you subcontract for a VAT-registered builder under CIS, you do not charge VAT on your invoice. The main contractor accounts for the VAT directly with HMRC (full rules: HMRC technical guide).
Most generic VAT guides skip this entirely, and most accountants only mention it after you have already invoiced wrong. If you are CIS-registered and most of your work is for builders, the Reverse Charge probably applies. Your turnover for VAT can look very different from your turnover for income tax.
Two simple checks: is your customer VAT registered and CIS registered, and are they going to use your work as part of an onward supply? If both are yes, Reverse Charge applies and you invoice without VAT.
Layer 06 · The schemes
The schemes are where you actually live once registered. Picking the wrong one can cost you a few thousand a year. Picking the right one can save them.
Pay HMRC a flat percentage of your gross turnover, keep the difference. Worth it if you do not buy a lot of materials.
Pay VAT when your client pays you, not when you invoice. Huge if your customers run late, which they do.
One VAT return a year instead of four, with quarterly direct debits on account. Less admin, less surprise.
How JustPayMe helps
JustPayMe sums your invoices into a rolling 12-month total automatically. The £90,000 line is drawn on every dashboard. You always know how much headroom is left, and whether the next big job will tip you over.
Free during early access. See pricing or browse the help centre.
Rolling 12-month turnover
£73,400
of £90,000
£16,600 of headroom before VAT registration.
By month
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JustPayMe tracks your rolling 12-month turnover so you always know where you stand. Plus it sends the invoices, chases the late ones, and hands clean numbers to your bookkeeper.